Mobile housing system

ABSTRACT

A mobile housing system comprising a plurality of railroad cars, a selected number of which have side walls that are expandable to convert the railroad cars into semi-permanent dwelling units. A selected number of the remaining railroad cars function as storage or service vehicles for the transportation of components utilized in the conversion of the railroad cars into the dwelling units. Each railroad car is provided with the mechanical, electrical and plumbing facilities for each dwelling unit and includes means for releasably attaching the mechanical, electrical and plumbing facilities of each adjacent railroad car such that the respective facilities of all the dwelling units are interconnected.

United States Patent 1 Wzacny 51 Sept. 30, 1975 1 1 MOBILE HOUSING SYSTEM [76] Inventor: Christopher Z. Wzacny, 295 N.

Glengarry, Birmingham, Mich. 48010 [22] Filed: May 23, 1974 1211 Appl. No.: 472,625

2,914,001 11/1959 Murphy 105/344 Primary ErUminer -M. Henson Wood, Jr. Assistant E.\'amiuer-Richard A. Bertseh Attorney, Agent, or FirmBasilc and Weintraub [57] ABSTRACT A mobile housing system comprising a plurality of railroad cars, a selected number of which have side walls that are expandable to convert the railroad cars into semi-permanent dwelling units. A selected number of the remaining railroad cars function as storage or service vehicles for the transportation of components utilized in the conversion of the railroad cars into the dwelling units. Each railroad car is provided with the mechanical, electrical and plumbing facilities for each dwelling unit and includes means for releasably attaching the mechanical, electrical and plumbing facilities of each adjacent railroad car such that the respec' tive facilities of all the dwelling units are interconnected,

5 Claims, 12 Drawing Figures US. Patent Sept. 30,1975 Sheet 1 of5 3,908,557

U.S. Patent Sept. 30,1975 Sheet 2 @1 5 3908557 US. Patent Sept. 30,1975 Sheet 3 of5 3,908,557

U.Sa Patent Sept. 30,1975 Sheet4 0f5 3 9G855? US. Patent Sept. 30,1975 Sheet 5 of5 3,908,557

Fig- /2 MOBILE HOUSING SYSTEM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention v The present invention relates to'mobile housing systems and, in particular, to tandemvehicles such as a plurality of railroad cars which ar'e convertible into temporary dwelling units. I i

2. Description of the Prior Art Past and present urban renewal activities throughout this country have all faced the problem of providing relocation housing for residents displaced by the renewal activities. Where permanent housing does not exist in required numbers, or is not readily available, tempo rary relocation housing is the only alternative.

Generally both permanent and temporary housing is widely dispersed throughout the city. The long distances from the project site often prove unsatisfactory to those who cannot move from their neighborhoods due to educational, social, and economic hardships. Consequently the relocatees are often located in marginal dwellings in the vicinity in order to maintain their ties with the community.

Both results are contrary to the main intentions of the renewal programs which seek to provide better housing opportunities to the residents.

It would therefore be desirable to have a means for providing temporary housing for residents of such urban renewal areas in a manner which is quick, efficient and which represents the least amount of hardship for the residents in question.

It is contemplated in the provision of such a housing system that it be highly mobile and one which may be brought to the desired location and made ready for occupancy in the shortest possible time. To this end, it is envisioned that the present invention will find use for providing emergency housing facilities in areas which may have been struck by a natural catastrophe such as floodings, tornadoes, earthquakes and the like.

Although the provision of mobile homes and comparable structures have been known, the inventor of the present invention is aware of only the following prior art:

US. Pat. Nos. 245,937, 559,962, 559,965, 566,127, 732,847, 926,683, 1,995,573, 2,015,176, 2,712,164, 3,118,187, 3,234,696, 3,528,207 and 3,605,351.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention which will be described subsequently in greater detail comprises a mobile housing system having tandem vehicles such as a plurality of railroad cars, a selected number of which are laterally expandable and convertible into dwelling units, the remaining vehicles functioning as storage units for transporting the components utilized in expanding the convertible vehicles. Each of the vehicles has a core section containing the plumbing, electrical and mechani cal facilities for the vehicles. Means are provided for releasably attaching the electrical, plumbing and mechanical facilities of each vehilce to each adjacent vehicle such that all of the plumbing, electrical and mechanical facilities-of the several vehicle are interconnected and attachable to a common utility source.

It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a solution to the aforementioned problems in the form ofa new and improved mobile housing system.

It is a more specific object of the present invention to utilize the railroad track, right of way and spurs located in close proximity of tracks in urban renewal areas for the temporary location of specially built railroad cars which are designed for shipment to the renewal site and once at the location, can be expanded to form dwelling units of a temporary type for the urban renewal residents or for use in emergencysituations by victims ofa castastrophic event. In the primary sense of the present invention when employed with urban renewal development, the need for residents to move out of their immediate area may be eliminated during the construction period.

It is thus a furtherobject of the present invention to provide an expansible railroad car which is particularly intended for use as a mobile home.

It is still a primary object of the present invention to provide an expansible railroad car having a fixed core section wherein the plumbing, heating, mechanical and electrical facilities are permanently arranged.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a mobile housing system which is rail mounted and which comprises a plurality of railroad cars of which has mechanical, electrical and plumbing facilities that includes means for releasably attaching such mechanical, electrical and plumbing facilities from one car to each adjacent car so that the mechanical, plumbing and electrical facilities of all the cars are interconnected and connectable to common utility sources. Other objects, advantages and applications of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art of mobile housing systems when the accompanying description of one example of the best mode contemplated for practicing the present invention is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The description herein makes reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views and in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the present invention illustrating the manner in which the same is transported;

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a typical site development employing the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an assembled dwelling unit car, service car and storage car constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic layout of an assembled mobile housing system constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention illustrating the mechanical, electrical and plumbing layout;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary partially projected crosssectional view through a typical dwelling unit car of the type illustrated in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is another cross-sectional view through a typical dwelling unit car of the type illustrated in FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along lines 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary view of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary view of FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary view of FIG. 6;

FIG. 11 is one example of a floor plan that may be employed in the construction of a typical dwelling unit car of'the type illustrated in FIG. 3;

FIG. 12 is another example of a floor plan of a dwelling unit car which may be constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings and, in particular, to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 wherein there is illustrated one example of the present invention in the form of a mobile housing system which in one form, as can best be seen in FIG. 1, comprises a plurality of railroad cars which are releasably attached by means of a conventional coupling means 12 so that the cars 10 may be driven by a engine 14 in the conventional manner on railroad tracks 16.

As aforementioned, it is contemplated that the railroad cars 10 will be driven to a predetermined development site 22 wherein the railroad cars will be assembled into dwelling units 18 while a selected number of the railroad cars 10 are utilized as storage and service cars 20.

Choosiing a proper location site for the development of the dwelling unit cars 18 depends upon the available land close to the area that is desired to be served, and the proximity of the required water, sewer and power utilities. In the event a self contained power and utility system is desired, the service cars may be used as the location for generators and water tanks and the like. This is especially warranted in the event the system is to be used in an emergency situation. Due to the temporary nature of the development, these considerations normally would take priority over other factors such as asthetic factors. However, once the site 22 has been de' veloped. in a manner which will be explained hereinafter, certain basic steps may be taken to make the developed site 22 so that it is more enjoyable for the residents. The development site 22, illustrated in FIG. 2, is contemplated as being situated in a vacant area between the local residential area and the existing railroad tracks 16 adjacent such an area. Spur lines 24 would be laid from the track 16 to the site 22. An asphalt street 26 would also be laid so as to connect the various dwelling units 18 of the development with the local residential area. Finally, the dwelling unit cars 18 and storage cars 20 are moved into the position illustrated and set up and connected to utilities in a manner to be described hereinafter. The vehicle and track serve as the building foundation. It is obvious that such a development site 22 should be set up on tracks that are close as possible to the residential area but again, the closeness to existing real estate property will depend on numerous local conditions and the like.

The development site 22 illustrated in FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a 36 dwelling unit community complete with storage service, laundry and club cars as will be described hereinafter. It is preferred that a vacant city lot located within the residential area with easy access to railroad lines be utilized for the development site 22. In such a situation no additional paving would be required as the existing local streets could service the development. The use of an existing vacant block offers advantages over the first mentioned development site 22 in that it would have greater resident acceptance as the development site would more easily fit into existing residential patterns.

In developing the site22, the land surface treatment must be such as to lend an esthetically pleasing appearance to the development site yet one which is temporary in nature and which will not result in a large expenditure of funds. In the situation where spurs of track are laid in a vacant lot to form a development, the surface grade is removed, the tracks laid and a gravel bed is placed along each strip'ofcars. Gravel is typically used as a bedding for track and in the present situation the width of the bedfor the tracks is merely widened to cover the area below the railroad cars 10. Between the gravel strips and asphalt parking a street may be provided. Finally, strips of sod or seed are placed between the asphalt and the gravel strips to provide grass around each of the dwelling units 18 and the storage units 20. Open space on either side of the development is not normally treated, except for cutting.

Referring now to FIG. 3 where there is illustrated an elevational view of one example of the typical dwelling unit 18 and storage car 20. Three basic wall units are utilized in the construction of the dwelling and storage cars. They consist of a plain panel 30 as shown on the storage car 20 wherein no fenestration is utilized. A panel (not shown) may be provided with projected windows and full glazing for use in the living areas while a panel 34 with the same projected windows having half glazing is provided for use on bedroom windows. The lower half of the latter type window has an opaque insert. It should be understood however, that these panels are only one alternate panel design and other type of designs and different materials may be employed in the construction of the Wall panels, all of which will be described in further detail hereinafter.

porches 36 located on the front elevation of the dwelling unit 18 are produced by means of a fold-out floor assembly which is hinged to the railroad car deck all of which will be described in greater detail hereinafter. Metal railings 38 and the steps 40 are preferably prefabricated accessories and during transit the railings 38 and the steps 40 are stored in the storage units 20 while the porch floor folds up in a manner to be described hereinafter.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 4 for an aid in the description of the site layout and the manner in which the mechanical, electrical and plumbing facilities are provided for each of the railroad dwelling units.

To complete a development site of the type contemplated, the development site 22 will include several dwelling unit cars 18 and other service or storage cars 20. Approximately 4,000 cubic feet of storage space is needed to transport the wall and roof units and other associated paraphernalia needed to construct a typical dwelling unit car 18. There is approximately 8,000 cubic feet of space in a foot long box car; therefore one box car must accompany every two dwelling unit cars to handle the construction accessories. Once the dwelling units 18 are set up, the empty box cars 20 may be utilized as storage space for furniture owned by the occupants while they occupy the dwelling units 18. In addition, a service or maintenance car 39 (FIG. 4) is also needed to connect the entire development with local services. Electrical power is brought from the local power source 41 to the service car, from which the power is distributed to mechanical room 42 at one end of each dwelling unit 18. Here, electrical power is -further distributed to each individual unit within a dwelling unit 18. It should be noted that the furnace could be eliminated and electric heat used. This is especially true in emergency situations where electricity could be generated in one of the service or storage cars, while fuel is carried in other storage cars. Sewage is discharged from each unit into the sewage main 43 below each car and a pump located in the service and maintenance car 39 will pump the sewage from the service cars to the local sewage main 45. Similarly water is directed from the city water main line to the service car 39 and to each individual dwelling unit 18 by suitable piping (49 in FIG. 6). Each car, whether a dwelling unit l8 or a storage car 20 must carry a sewage main, .1 water main and electrical mains beneath the same to facilitate interconnection of the cars in series. Thus, means must be provided to releasably attached each of the cars so that during transportation the water main lines. power main lines and sewage main lines of the cars are not connected to each adjacent car, yet during setup the lines may be easily interconnected. Suitable coupling mechanisms for electrical, water and sewage supply are well known and commercially available and the same may be utilized to provide a simple and efficient means for interconnecting each of the aforementioned facilities to one another during the assembling operation. It should also be noted that the main electrical, sewage, water and mechanical features are carried permanently within core sections 47 (FIG. 5) of each railroad car 10. It should also be noted that several of the storage cars 20 may be specialty cars to complete the development site 22 and may include laundry facilities, medical and social facilities, a club car or a main office which provides space for personnel that may oversee the development.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 through for aid in a more detailed understanding of one example of the construction of a dwelling unit 18. Because the typical dimensions of a railroad car are limited in both height and width it is necessary to provide a means to expand these dimensions to create suitable living space within the dwelling units 18. The first step in the process is accomplished by means of a fold-out flooring member 44. The flooring members 44 are, in the preferred embodiment, hinged to the railroad car deck 48 along the lower edges of the longitudinal side walls 50 of the car 10. In this way the flooring members 44 can be folded up to within the limits of clearance for transit of the railroad car and folded down for use as an expandable dwelling unit 18 at the site 22. The space within the limits of the clearance spaced defined by the core 47 of the dwelling unit 18 is divided into habitable space and mechanical storage space. By means of the folding flooring 44 and the core 47 an approximately 10 feet 9 inches wide railroad car 10 can be expanded to a 30 foot width.

As can also be seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, after the flooring members 44 are in the horizontal position, which will be described in greater detail hereinafter, complete enclosure of the dwelling unit 18 is accomplished by means of a prefabricated support wall unit 52 and a ceiling unit 54.

These units are complete with interior and exterior finishes and any mechanical or fenestration accessories that may be necessary or desired. The support wall unit 52 has a 3 foot extension 56 (FIG. 6) below the floor level to provide a skirt which is integral with the unit 52 itself so as to block off the space below the car 10 and make a visually more acceptable dwelling unit 18. Interior partitions 58 (FIGS. 11 and 12) in the expanded area above the flooring member 44 are also prefabricated module units. All partitons and equipment in the core area 47 are built permanently to the basic railroad car 10 and the details of this construction will be described hereinafter.

FIG. 6 illustrates a cross-sectional view through an assembled dwelling unit 18 and, as can best be seen in the floor plans of FIGS. 11 and 12, the kitchen, bathrooms and bedroom closets are contained within the core area 47. The space between the ceiling and roof of the core 47 of the railroad car 10 provides means for storing the heat conduits 60, while beneath the core section a chase 62 is provided for carrying the water line 49, sewer line 43 and electrical conduits 41. Conventional plumbing 64, electrical wiring 66 and venting ducts 68 are all permanently built into the core 47 and connected to the aforementioned utilities.

As can best be seen in FIG. 7, the flooring member 44 is preferably composed of a 6 inch deep ribbed metal deck 70 with a hard board skin 72 screwed or laminated to the deck 70. Over this layer of plywood with a carpeting covering 74 is provided. The edges are provided with steel channels 76 (FIG. 8) and the tube sections 78 (FIG. 10) to carry electrical wiring and facilitate connection to the wall unit 52.

As can best be seen in FIG. 8, the hinged connection of the ear deck 48 and flooring member 44 is an interlocking type hinge 80 preferably consisting of 2 foot wide sections 82 of the flooring unit 44 interlocked with 2 foot wide sections 84 of the car deck 48. This is accomplished by the use of steel drums welded to the edge channels of the deck 48 and flooring member 44. A rod 86 or the like is then inserted through the length of the connection to complete the hinge 80. A strip 88 ofthe floor deck approximately 8 inches wide is removable to allow the flooring member 44 to pivot upwardly. In transit, the flooring member 44 is movable to a raised position or vertical position (FIG. 5) where it is adjacent and parallel to the longitudinal side walls 50 of the core 47 and during the setup or assembled position at the site, the flooring members 44 are swingable to a lowered position wherein the flooring members 44 are horizontally disposed with respect to the core unit 47. To this end, floor supports 90 (FIGS. 5 and 6) are provided to support the flooring members 44 at their extended ends. In the preferred embodiment the floor supports 90 are conventional shoring screw jacks 92 mounted on a tubular steel tripod 94. The tripod rests preferably on a 2 foot square concrete pad 96 which may be either precast or poured. Preferably the floor supports 90 are spaced at 10 foot centers such that each pad will support approximately 6,000 pounds of floor, roof and panel load. This amounts to approximately 1500 pounds per square foot of soil pressure or about half what common soil conditions can normally support.

Referring now to FIGS. 9 and 10 for an aid in understanding the details of the construction of the ceiling unit 54 and support walls 52. These units are preferably of a vacuum form plastic construction filled with a foamed insulation 98 and sealed with a vinyl covering 100. The edge members 102 of these units are extruded aluminum shapes designed to facilitate the connection to the car 10 and to each other. The wall units 52 rest on the tube sections 78 welded to the flooring units 44. The connection is made to the flooring unit 44 through the tube sections 78 which also, as aforementioned, serve as electrical conduits. The 3 foot skirt below the floor level is backed by a one and one half inch metal deck laminated to the plastic foam.

The roof units 54 rest on a steel channel 104 (FIG. 9) embedded in the car 10 at one end and on the top of the wall units 52 at the other end as shown at 106 in FIG. 10. The typical connection is a bolt connection 108 into a threaded insert 110 welded to the edged channels. The final sealing is accomplished through the use of a typical zipper gasket 112 at the edge of each wall and roof unit. The roof 54 is then covered with a continuous vinyl sheet 114 (FIG. 9) rolled down from the core 47 and secured to the facia.

As aforementioned the air supply and return ducts 60 are located in the mechanical space above the core living area (FIG. 6). The feeder branches come off the main supply ducts to registers I16 at the edge of the core 47 and once the roof units 54 are in place a plenum 1 18 is formed within the roof units 54 to distribute the air supply through a register 120 mounted in the ceiling I22 of the roof unit 54. The air return is handled through ducts 124 embedded in the core walls 50.

Electrical power is distributed through the core walls 58 and extended into the expanded areas through the tube sections welded to the foldout floor units 44 such as the aforementioned tube sections 78.

As also aforementioned the water supply lines 49 are carried in the housing units beneath the car floor and distributed to the outlets through the core walls 58 in the conventional manner using conventional fixtures and the like. The sewage that is discharged into the sewage main 43 housed beneath the car floor, aforemcntined, is pneumatically pumped to the service vehicle 39 located on site 22. The hot water boiler and furnace for all the units in each car are located in the mechanical unit room 42 at the forward end of the car 10, as aforementioned.

Referring to FIG. 11 wherein there is illustrated a schematic floor plan illustrating a dwelling unit arrangement for a one bedroom unit, a two bedroom unit and three bedroom unit. It should be noted from the floor plan that all of the bathrooms, kitchen, closets and doorways are contained within the core area. This way, these elements can be built permanently into the car and need not be disassembled for transit. The expanded areas are merely space enclosures, and thus, the arrangement greatly simplifies the assembly and disassembly process. The mechanical room at the end of the car houses the heating equipment for all three units and serves as a distribution point for the electrical, power and heating ducts. The three units shown plus the mechanical room can be built within the length of a typical passenger car which is 85 feet, and thus, represents a typical dwelling car unit that is, three units per car. FIG. 12 is an example of a two bedroom, one bedroom, two bedroom combination wherein only one side of the train car is expandible. It can be seen that numerous layouts and expandible systems may be had from the basic scheme disclosed by the present inventive concept.

To that end it should be understood that although only one form of the present invention has been disclosed, other forms may be had. all coming within the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. A mobile housing system comprising a plurality of railroad cars releasably attached to one another such that said railroad cars maybe driven on railroad tracks in a conventional manner to a storage location;

a'selected number of said railroad cars each having a core section and expandable side wall sections; partitions dividing the core sections and the side wall sections of each car into a plurality of dwelling units; each of said selected number of cars having a sepa rate mechanical section for'distributing electrical. mechanical, and plumbing facilities via said core sections to each of the dwelling units therewithin;

a service car having power generating, waste disposal and water supply means; releasable coupling means associated with all of said railroad cars for interconnecting said electrical, mechanical, and plumbing facilities contained within the mechanical sections of each car with said service car when said cars are at said storage location such that said facilities of said cars may be interconnected to the self-contained utility generating source in said service car; means connecting said service car to a public utility source for bypassing said self-contained utility generating means in said service car when said public source is available, and I said coupling means being disconnected with said cars are driven on said railroad tracks in said conventional manner.

2. The mobile housing system defined in claim 1 wherein the longitudinal side walls of said expandable cars have flooring members that are pivotally attached to said expandable railroad cars and swingable from a first raised position to a second lowered position and means for supporting said flooring members in said lowered position.

3. The mobile housing system defined in claim 2 further comprising ceiling member removably attachable to the longitudinal side of said expandable railroad car;

side wall support members releasably attachable to the extended longitudinal edge of said swingably flooring member and the extended longitudinal edge of said ceiling member, said side wall support members having lower portions which extends below said flooring member to enclose the underside of said expandable car.

4. The mobile housing system defined in claim 3 wherein the opposite side walls of said expandable railroad cars are provided with said swingable flooring members such that said swingable flooring members on opposite sides of said convertible car swing outwardly to said second lowered position.

5. The mobile housing system defined in claim 1 wherein a portion of the side walls of said railroad cars are provided with flooring members having longitudinal edges that are pivotally mounted to the lower longitudinal edge of the expandable railroad car such that the flooring members are swingable from a first raised position against said walls to a second lowered position wherein said flooring members disposed in a horizontal plane;

means for supporting said flooring member in said horizontal position and means for releasably attaching stairs to said extended flooring member to form a porch and entrance way to said convertible Car. 

1. A mobile housing system comprising a plurality of railroad cars releasably attached to one another such that said railroad cars may be driven on railroad tracks in a conventional manner to a storage location; a selected number of said railroad cars each having a core section and expandable side wall sections; partitions dividing the core sections and the side wall sections of each car into a plurality of dwelling units; each of said selected number of cars having a separate mechanical section for distributing electrical, mechanical, and plumbing facilities via said core sections to each of the dwelling units therewithin; a service car having power generating, waste disposal and water supply means; releasable coupling means associated with all of said railroad cars for interconnecting said electrical, mechanical, and plumbing facilities contained within the mechanical sections of each car with said service car when said cars are at said storage location such that said facilities of said cars may be interconnected to the self-contained utility generating source in said service car; means connecting said service car to a public utility source for bypassing said self-contained utility generating means in said service car when said public source is available; and said coupling means being disconnected with said cars are driven on said railroad tracks in said conventional manner.
 2. The mobile housing system defined in claim 1 wherein the longitudinal side walls of said expandable cars have flooring members that are pivotally attached to said expandable railroad cars and swingable from a first raised position to a second lowered position and means for supporting said flooring members in said lowered position.
 3. The mobile housing system defined in claim 2 further comprising ceiling member removably attachable to the longitudinal side of said expandable railroad car; side wall support members releasably attachable to the extended longitudinal edge of said swingably flooring member and the extended longitudinal edge of said ceiling member, said side wall support members having lower portions which extends below said flooring member to enclose the underside of said expandable car.
 4. The mobile housing system defined in claim 3 wherein the opposite side walls of said expandable railroad cars are provided with said swingable flooring members such that said swingable flooring members on opposite sides of said convertible car swing outwardly to said second lowerEd position.
 5. The mobile housing system defined in claim 1 wherein a portion of the side walls of said railroad cars are provided with flooring members having longitudinal edges that are pivotally mounted to the lower longitudinal edge of the expandable railroad car such that the flooring members are swingable from a first raised position against said walls to a second lowered position wherein said flooring members disposed in a horizontal plane; means for supporting said flooring member in said horizontal position and means for releasably attaching stairs to said extended flooring member to form a porch and entrance way to said convertible car. 